Life Used To Be Simple
by Tears of My Heart
Summary: Complete. AU. Set up on a blind date by a matchmaking friend, a woman whose goals rule her life and an extremely arrogant man find the one thing that they never expected . . . deep seeded hatred. SesshXRin. Short, only three chapters. Read and review!
1. The SetUp

Hey, everyone, here's my new fic!!! Okay, I admit, this one is only about three chapters . . . a threeshot if you will . . . because its just a short idea that came to me one day, and I thought I would try my hands at an AU fic. Sooo, because this is so short, I'm not even gonna begin to describe the amount of reviews I'm going to need to post the next chapter (I'll give you a hint, its pretty high). Enjoy!!!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, but I do love it more than life itself.

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Chapter One

The Set-Up

Rin quickly walked of the book store. Fucking vet school was costing her a fortune. Growling to herself, she hitched her backpack higher onto her shoulder, kicking a rock on the city sidewalk.

It was seven in the evening, and starting to get dark outside. She hurried along to her car, which was neatly parallel parked. Just as she was walking along to her driver's side door, she was keenly aware of a whoosh of wind at her side, and the black Lexus caught the spot directly in front of her, and he backed in. Oh, yeah, he backed in a little two close to her beat-up 1969 Mustang—otherwise known as her baby.

When the driver stepped out of his car, she inwardly seethed. He was hot, she would admit, but he had no right to park like he owned the city.

"Hey," she called out, getting his attention. "You parked too close to my car. I can't get out."

He turned back to look at her, his long, silvery white hair falling down over his shoulders and back. Golden eyes glanced at her, then at his car, before he regally shrugged his shoulder and walked on.

Oh, now she was hot. Steam practically poured out of the ears. Damn him.

Running up to him and then planting herself directly in front of him so that he couldn't get away, she also noticed that he was easily a foot taller than her. But no one pushed around Rin Tanaka. No one.

"Listen, you need to move your goddamn car," she said, grinding out each word through her teeth.

He chuckled lightly. "I don't have to do anything, _human_."

So, he was a demon. Well, she was going to prove that she wasn't scared of anyone.

"Okay, asshole, that's how you wanna play?" she said, glancing up and the down the near-abandoned street. She smirked at him, and the evil glint in her eyes was enough to make him frown. Reaching into her purse, she grabbed her keys, and then sauntered over to her car, all the while muttering, "Doesn't want to move his fancy, expensive car, does he? Well, we'll see about that."

Effectively unlocking her door and sliding onto the comfy, well-worn seat, she started the engine. It roared to life, and she looked out her passenger window to make she he was watching. He was.

Another evil grin split her face as she put the car in reverse, going back as far as she could go without hitting the car behind her. Then, pushing the car immediately in drive, she pushed the accelerator, and slid out of the spot.

The scrape of metal and paint was satisfying, yet brief as she pulled away. Oh, he would know better than to mess with her again.

Looking out the rear-view, Rin couldn't help but laugh at the out-and-out look on his face. His jaw looked like it had become detached, and he was gaping openly at the blemish on the back corner of his car.

Oh, yeah, that's what you get when you mess with Rin Tanaka.

* * *

Later, Rin threw her book against the wall for the third time. The resounding crack in the drywall was nothing less than satisfying. She smirked at the book, entitled _Common Domestic Animals: An Overview in Anatomy and Physiology_, which now lay sprawled open on the floor, and a few of the pages were bent at the corners. Her next door neighbor, against whose wall the book had been thrown, was now screaming, also for the third time.

She only grinned. It was three A.M., and she could honestly care less about life, love, and most of all, vet school. It could all go straight to hell.

The twenty-five year old woman crossed her blue pajama-clad legs on the couch she was sitting on, and quickly flipped the on button of the remote control.

"Ah, television, my old friend. How I've missed you!" she said, leaning back and stretching her arms high above her head. She sneered, though, when all she came across were info-mercials. Damn. Honestly, people who are awake at three in the morning want to watch normal shows, too. Not has-been actors pitching products that are more of a rip-off than the God-send that they proclaim them to be. Ugh.

She pushed her long, black hair off of her shoulders so that it could cascade down her lean back. Her black eyes, which were expressive and bright during the day, were dull and tired in the early morning hours, but she could care less.

Studying was her life, and it would continue to be such for the next year, then she would graduate. Then her life would be her residency, saving money, and opening her own clinic. Then she could sleep.

When her cell phone rang a few minutes later, "Living Dead Girl" by Rob Zombie filled the room, and Rin took a moment to sway her hips to the beat of the rock song before finally picking up the phone.

"Ray's Grill. If it's not crawling away too quickly, we'll cook it," she answered, mentally giggling. Oh, yeah, sometimes she still felt like a teenager.

"That's gross. Shouldn't you be more concerned about those poor half-dead animals that are being cooked alive?" The sound of Kagome, Rin's best, and well, only, friend, rang in her ears as she raised the pitch of her voice in disgust. Kagome was currently on her residency at the local hospital, and Rin was proud of her doctor-friend. She was also her go-to for her prescriptions for the pill and general medical advice.

"You know damn-well that if such a place existed, I would have shut them down by now."

"Yeah, yeah, Miss Vegetarian Vet-School Activist. Geez, you're boring."

"Love you, too," Rin said, stifling a yawn and cracking her back in the process.

"Anyway, the reason I called—by the way, I have to hurry, I need to get back on my rounds—but anyway, I got you a date."

"What? You called me at three-thirty in the morning to tell me that you got me a date?!" Rin was dumbfounded, though she knew that she shouldn't be. Kagome was always trying to set her up on dates with people she knew from work, school, whatever. There was even this one date where she had planned to set him up with a boy that they had both known in the second grade. As it had turned out, he was now married, but willing to have some fun on the side. Rin had knocked him out cold.

"Oh, please, I knew you would be awake. You are the only friend I have who has the same waking hours as I do."

"True as that may be, I need sleep. You are so lucky its Friday tomorrow, or I'd be pissed. Any who, I have to be up in three hours, so I'll let you go . . . ."

"Wait, wait, wait. You haven't said yes or no to the date yet."

"I don't even know this guy!" Her patience was wearing thin. She didn't have time for a date. She had to study this weekend.

"Listen, okay, he's Inuyasha's brother." There was a not-so-subtle sigh on the other end of the phone.

"And who the hell is Inuyasha?" she snapped, wishing her friend would get to the point. Kagome cleared her throat.

"My boyfriend."

"Since fucking when?!" Rin's fist clenched. Kagome always had boyfriends, ever since they were in high school. If she broke up with a guy, she wouldn't last a week before another one would sweep her off her feet, leaving Rin to watch her best friend go on dates and get flowers and those loving looks. It left her wishing that she had someone to care for her. It made her wish that she was pretty and bubbly and lovable. Its one of the reasons why these pity dates made her so mad all the time. No way was she going out on a date with some guy who was looking at Kagome and thinking he was getting the same thing, only to be disappointed. Nah-uh, no way.

"Since our third date. Listen, he's been telling me about his half-brother, Sesshomaru. He's an okay guy, from what I hear, he's just got a tough outer shell. You are just the girl to break through it." Kagome sighed again, leaving Rin to think that she had seen this 'brother' before.

"No way, Kagome. I have too much stuff to do."

"One date. Please, please, please," she purred into the phone. "When was the last time you went out on a date?"

They both knew it had been three years ago, when Rin was finishing off her undergrad degree in biology. The guy's name had been Jakotsu, and he had been another of Kagome's ideas. He had been a doctor, and she had noticed him around the hospital, alone, not really talking to anyone. Rin now knew why.

"Kagome, he was gay! The poor guy was so embarrassed that I had to pay the bill _and_ send him on him home in a cab."

"Okay, that was bad, but this could be good. Come on. You have my word that if this ends badly, I will no longer set you up on any dates until the end of time and beyond." Rin could practically hear her friend salivate at the thought of playing matchmaker.

"I'm still gonna say no, you know that, right?" Rin opened the refrigerator door and grabbed a Coke before heading into her bedroom, which was only a short walk across the small apartment.

"Rin, I want to see you happy. I want you to have someone there for you."

Rin sighed. "Kags, I'm happy the way I am. I'm just stressed, that's all. There's no reason for you to think that I'm not happy."

"I know you aren't happy. You haven't been happy since before your parents died." There was a short pause. "You know it's true. It was seven years ago. You have to let someone in."

"I don't want to talk about this right now," Rin muttered, and then shut the flip of her phone, laying it down on her night stand.

Kagome meant well, but she could get very pushy if she thought that she was right. Rin sighed. It was to be expected. Kagome, being a year older, somehow felt responsible for the younger girl, and she felt that finding the love of her life for her was part of that responsibility. It would seem reasonable, except that her track record didn't have a single good score on it thus far. All of the men she had picked were either drunkards, losers, gay, married, or perverts. If she had picked even one decent one, one that showed even a hint of promise, Rin probably would not be so opposed to this date, but enough was enough, and she was going to stand on her own two feet, without relying on anyone. It was what she was good at.

Laying her head down on her pillow, which depicted a certain handsome pirate—oh, how she loved Hot Topic—and pulling her black and purple colored covers over her shoulders, she soon resigned herself to another sleepless night filled followed by a long day.

It was funny, though. The only thought that ran through her mind was the man whose car she had mutilated.

* * *

"Rin Tanaka!" the professor shouted from the front of the room. Her head snapped up from the desk, her face buried in her half-finished notes. Her eyes immediately found the small man at the front of the room, clad in a long, white lab coat and thick bifocals.

"Yes, Sensei?" Rin replied, her attention peaked.

"Class has been dismissed for ten minutes. Go home."

"Yes, sir," she said, packing up her things and throwing her backpack over her shoulder. He stopped her before she ran out the door.

"And Rin," he said, watching as she turned slowly. "That is the second time you have fallen asleep in my class. You need to get a full night's sleep." He leaned against his desk at the front of the gigantic lecture hall. "Normally, I would not take such a close, personal interest in my students, but you _are_ one of my top students, and there is no doubt in my mind that you are up so late studying. You are ahead of the rest of the class. Take this weekend off. Relax, because God knows its only going to get worse otherwise," he finished with a reassuring smile.

"Thank you, Sensei. I will certainly try my best," she said, and then rushed out of the classroom. "Thank goodness he's so understanding," she muttered to herself.

* * *

She pushed the key into the door and turned, hearing the satisfying snick, and she swung the door open. Walking into the small, plain apartment, she threw her bag down on a recliner and slumped down on her couch, and without even taking off her shoes, she turned on the television. Rin smiled when she heard the theme song to 'The Simpsons.'

Soon she began contemplating Chinese take-out when there was a knock on her door.

"Did China Dragon read my mind?" Rin said to herself, smiling a little as she answered the door, secretly hoping for the intoxicating smell of hot and sour soup, when she came face to face with Kagome.

"Hi," Rin said, standing back as her friend barged into the apartment.

"Hey! Okay, we only have an hour to get you ready, so let's get started."

"Get started with what?"

"Come on, Rin, we have to pick out an outfit for you."

"Get started on what?"

"I like the burgundy dress with the black lace overlay; I think that would do perfectly."

_"Get ready for what!?"_ she finally screamed, earning her a shout from her neighbors. "Don't you people have lives!? Shut up!" Rin screamed back at them.

"And the black pumps with the leather straps that go up your calves. That should do it."

"Kagome," Rin started. "I am going to talk very slowly, so that you can understand me. What am I getting ready for?" she said, grabbing her friend's face, managing to smudge her perfectly laid foundation and blush.

"Your date, silly."

"My what?"

"Not this again," she said with an exasperated sigh. "Look, you weren't going to take a chance on this, so I told him that you agreed and to pick you up at seven. Its almost six now, so let's get going."

"Wha . . . . Why would you do that?" she said, flailing her arms slightly. "This is my only weekend off. My professor told me to _not _study, and for once, I agree. I was going to relax, and now I have a date with a guy and it is going to be awkward and stressful and . . . my shoulder is throbbing," she said, massaging said area as the pressure continued. "I can't even stand straight. The only sleep I got was in class, ironic as it is. I couldn't stay awake through a date if I wanted to."

"So . . .," Kagome said. "So, you want me to call him and call this off?"

"Yes," Rin shouted excitedly. "Yes, call him and tell him I was hit by a bus, or that a freak stampede swept me away."

"Too bad, I don't have his number on me."

"Fuck," Rin bit out.

"Rin, such language. I hope you won't use that word on your date tonight."

"Oh, I'll have some choice words for him, such as bastard, prick, son of a . . .," Rin stifled the rest as Kagome jumped on her, pinning the other girl to the couch.

"Don't call him a son of a bitch. He's a dog demon."

"Like I care. Dog, cat, fish, human, they're all the same to me. I'd refuse each and every one of them."

Kagome pinched the bridge of her nose, taking in the fact that her friend was, quite possibly, the most stubborn person on the planet.

"I want you to go on one date."

"I want to stay home and do jack shit for the rest of the night."

"Again with the language. Listen, my shift starts in two hours, and Sesshomaru is going to be here in less than one, so we need to hurry."

Rin sighed, and finally nodded as a heavy feeling descended upon her. Her eyes suddenly felt so weighted, and she only wanted to crawl into her twin-sized bed and sleep the day away. Dragging herself into her bedroom, she quickly went into the closet to pull out the dress the Kagome had been talking about, as well as the shoes.

Kagome watched from the doorway, her eyes worried. She knew that her friend was tired, and that she worked harder than necessary at times. Yet she wanted her friend to find love, and perhaps this Sesshomaru guy was just the one for her. From what Inuyasha had told her, this guy was rude, mean, and stubborn—and those were his nice qualities. Rin would fight him tooth and nail, and that is exactly why Kagome figured that they were perfect for each other. Kagome and Inuyasha had fought like cats and dogs when they had first met, and they were deliriously happy a month later.

"Did you bring make-up?" Rin asked when she had the dress and shoes on. She looked gorgeous, except for the fact that she wasn't smiling and she looked incredibly tired.

"Yup, I know you don't own any." Kagome quickly held up a small bag. "Come on, I'll even curl your hair."

She nodded, following Kagome into her small bathroom so that her friend could carefully apply some blush, a charcoal colored shadow to her eyes, and a pale, shimmering lip gloss. Then, she gave the ends of her mid-back length hair a slight flip, giving her a simple and elegant look. The black lace fell from just below the bodice of the burgundy silk, and the dress itself fell to just below her knees. The dress was held up by twin sets of spaghetti-thin straps.

Rin barely recognized herself in the mirror. This woman that stared back at her was sophisticated, social, and sexual. This woman was not her. This woman was who everyone else wanted her to be.

She looked over at Kagome, who had a worried look on her face. Swiveling around, she noted that it was only three minutes to seven. Maybe if she was lucky he would stand her up.

No such luck.

Exactly two minutes later, there was a knock on the door, and Kagome stood up, squealing a little. "He's here."

"Goodie," Rin said, rolling her eyes. With her left hand on her hip, and her right hand gripping her clutch-purse, she awaiting to see what kind of man Kagome was so kind as to set up with her friend.

"Hello, Sesshomaru, Rin is right in here," Kagome beamed, and again Rin felt the need to roll her eyes. The apartment was just over six-hundred square feet. If he couldn't see her from the doorway, then he was blind.

And when he was in her line of sight . . . .

"Hell, no," Rin said pointing her finger at him. "I am not going on a date with this asshole!"

_"Rin,"_ Kagome hissed, her eyes pleading with her friend. "You don't even know . . . ."

"Well, well," he said, the corners of his mouth pulling up into a smirk. "We meet again."

"You know each other?" Kagome asked, looking from her friend's seething expression to the bemused look on Sesshomaru. "How?"

"It doesn't matter, because I am not going anywhere. I want this man out of my apartment." She crossed her arms for emphasis. He stalked closer, however. His long, silken hair flowed around him like an aura, and his golden eyes shined like brass in the dim light of her small apartment. _Oh, and of course, he would have to look gorgeous in Armani_, she thought to herself. Ugh, men.

His eyes narrowed marginally at her. Yes, revenge would be oh-so-sweet with this girl.

Reaching out, silently and lethally, he grasped her wrist and pulling her forward. When she stumbled past him—purely out of surprise—his hand immediately found the small of her back, guiding her toward the door.

"What the hell . . . .?" she yelled when she was pushed bodily out the door, only to have to steady herself on the wall across the hall.

"Don't wait up," Sesshomaru said to Kagome, a menacing grin displayed that, quite honestly, scared her. Then they were gone.

"What did I do?" Kagome said worriedly, looking around the empty apartment.

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Oooh, a little bit of tension, isn't there??? Okay, tell me what you think, and remember this is my first AU fic, so be nice. Til next time, toodles.


	2. The Date

Hey, everyone!!! Oh, my goodness, I am sooo happy with the response to the first chapter, so I thought I would post this chapter a bit early. This chapter is chock full of humor, however, I'll warn you now, the third chapter has more drama in it, because I live for drama in my stories (not my life, if I can avoid it). As always, read and review, and I hope you all enjoy!!!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, however I am was watching it the other night, and noticed just how little Sesshomaru is in the show! Does that not make you mad?**

**Warning: This chapter contains adult content. Please use your best judgment and discretion when reading this chapter.

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Chapter Two

The Date

Rin stood on the sidewalk of the small parking lot outside of her apartment building. No way was she getting in that car with _him_. No way in hell.

"Get in," he said, holding the passenger door open. She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. "Alright then."

Walking over to her, he grasped her wrists and pulled, causing her to once again tumble into him.

"Listen, you pompous ass, stop pushing me around!" she yelled moments before driving her clenched fist into his gut. He caught himself before doubling over, his hands finding her hips and shoving her down forcefully into the seat of his car, swinging the door shut. Luckily, Rin pulled her legs in before he could slam the heavy door on them. He then walked around to his side, his thumb on the lock button on his keychain in case she tried to run.

Once he was inside, he was immediately assaulted. Her fists hit his shoulders and arms, her voice carrying curses against him. "Damn you," she screamed.

Grabbing her waist, he pulled her over until she was straddling his hips, her arms were quickly pinned to her sides, and her backside was pressed against his steering wheel. Her angry expression was evident even in the dark light of the car.

Leaning up, his lips rested at the shell of her ear, his breath whispering along the delicate line of her neck.

"Revenge," he said, his silken voice sending chills up her spine, "is oh-so-sweet."

Tossing her back in her seat like a sack of laundry, she felt the sudden urge to curl into herself. She thought briefly of going for the door, but resigned herself to buckle her seatbelt. She could deal with him for one night, since it seemed he was _dying_ for her company anyway.

The drive to the restaurant was quiet. Neither spoke, nor did they even glance at each other. The stoic silence was beginning to wear on Rin's nerves until they reached the parking lot.

The walk into the actual restaurant as relatively painless, except that he insisted on leading her in by the elbow, which she gritted her teeth through. They were led to a corner table, set for two, and given twin sets of menus. Sesshomaru ordered them each a glass of red wine to start.

Rin glanced around them. Making a scene was out of the question; he would just drag her out of the restaurant and teach her a lesson in the car, no doubt. Sighing, she looked over the menu and quickly found the second cheapest item—eggplant parmesan. That sounded good right now. Not as good as Chinese, however . . . .

Sesshomaru looked over at the girl, watching her as she scanned the menu, her brow furrowed. He smirked inwardly. Tonight was going to be fun, to say the least.

When the waiter came back to their side, they both ordered what they wanted, and then they were left alone. Rin could only find herself glaring while she found a particularly interesting spot on the table to stare at. When she looked up a few minutes later, she noted a peculiar, stupid-looking grin on Sesshomaru's face.

"What _the hell_ is wrong with you?" she slowly drawled, careful to keep her voice low. Her glare only intensified.

He just grinned wider. Turning to look at the occupied table next to theirs, he nodded and glanced at Rin momentarily before turning to the older man and woman.

"It's our one year anniversary," he said, reaching his hand out over the table. "Are you enjoying yourself, pooky?"

Her eyes grew very wide, but she caught herself quickly and placed her hand in his. "Oh, yes, darling," she murmured. Then she looked over at the woman, who practically had stars in her eyes. Oh, yeah, she was eating this like cake. "It was so funny how we met. You see, at the time, I was a nursing assistant, and well . . . he came into the clinic, and immediately fell in love with me. He asked me out as soon as I walked into the room. It was love at first sight," Rin said, sighing a little. Picking up her wine glass, she took a cursory sip. "And as soon as his herpes test cleared, we went on our very first date!"

Too bad for Sesshomaru, he had been taking a sip of his wine when she said the last bit, and he immediately began choking.

Rin did not think it was possible, but she was sure that, even in the dim light of the restaurant, Sesshomaru's cheeks were faintly stained pink. The woman gasped ever-so-slightly, and her husband began to cough roughly. Rin wanted to laugh so badly that it hurt her chest, but thanks to her stern self-control, she refrained, and only smiled prettily while looking at Sesshomaru.

When the food arrived, they picked at their meals without saying a word. Occasionally one would look at the other and glare furiously. It was strange for Rin to hate someone as thoroughly as she hated this man, but she did. He drove her to the point of madness. He was infuriating, mean, and furthermore, he was pushy. And she hated pushy people.

About half-way through the dinner, the waiter came by the make sure everything was all right. Sesshomaru looked over at Rin, catching her eyes across the table.

"This may be a bit unconventional, but I think we should order some oysters, don't you, pooky?" he asked, directing this at both the waiter and Rin. The neighbors at the next table took notice, and he quickly turned his attention to them. "Oysters always make her so . . . what's the word . . . frisky." Again, the gentleman coughed.

_So, that's your game_, Rin thought to herself, smirking through the embarrassment.

"Why, yes," she murmured, "and it's so much better then having to remind him to take his 'little blue pill.'" She whispered conspiratorially to the woman across the aisle from her.

"Waiter," the woman said, motioning the man over. "I think we will require oysters as well." Then she looked over at Rin and winked.

Rin inwardly cringed. Old people sex. Gross.

Sesshomaru only looked over at her and winked menacingly. Frowning, Rin went back to picking at her eggplant in vain hopes that he would leave her alone for the rest of the evening. Yeah, right, no such luck.

The oysters arrived scant moments later. Damn it. Rin eyed the pearlescent fluid inside of the ugly shell. Then she peered up to glare at Sesshomaru. Did he really expect her to eat that?

And that fucking eyebrow of his rose. That slight quirk that dared to her to participate in this little game of his, this game which she damn well knew she was already apart of.

Reaching out, she plucked a shell off of the bed of salt that they rested on, and held it up to eye level. Then she quirked her brow up, issuing the dare to him, and she smirked when he reached out and grabbed a shell of his own.

"Cheers," he said, reaching out to knock his oyster against hers. Simultaneously they threw back the shells, letting the salty, milky oyster slid down their throats. And though it pained her, Rin refused to grimace at the taste.

"Aren't you going to have some more, pooky?" he asked, and she hated the smirk on his face.

"Why, no, dear, one is more than enough to make me . . . frisky," she said, making her voice breathy and soft. His eyes widened slightly.

"Well, of course, but I wanted tonight to be extra special," he said, and she squeaked when she felt his sock-clad foot stroke up her bare leg. His discarded shoe was neatly concealed under the table.

"What are you doing?" she hissed. Rin sat back as far as she could in her chair and did her best to control the furious blush that stained her cheeks. Pushing her feet firmly under her seat, she glared at him.

"Making you uncomfortable."

"Well, its working. I think we should finish up and leave. I don't want to be here any longer than I have to," she whispered, being considerate for the people next to them.

He nodded, and took a bit of his fillet mignon, and then a sip of his wine.

Rin nodded, and took it upon herself to stare at the table for the rest of the night.

* * *

The drive back to Rin's apartment was, to say the least, uncomfortable. After insisting that she pay for her portion of the meal, and having to argue with him about that, too, she only wanted to get home. It was bordering on nine o'clock, and already the strain of the day was wearing on her. The brims of her eyelids burned, and she could feel her chest constrict in a deep yawn. She ached to lean her head back against the soft leather seat and close her eyes.

Looking over at Sesshomaru, she watched the play of the streetlights on his face, and the way that the dark lights skimmed over his long, white tresses. His eyes were trained on the road ahead of him, yet she knew that he could feel her examination of him. She mentally looked at herself, noting all of the lines and curves of her body. She wasn't anything exceptional. Her hair was black and long, but not lustrous. Her eyes were large and expressive, but they were black and ordinary. Her body was not the stuff of which models were made.

She looked ahead at the road, and heaved a sigh. Quickly, Sesshomaru glanced at her, his hands tightening on the steering wheel.

"We're here," she said as they turned into her parking lot. She pulled off her seatbelt and got out, not even waiting for him to open the door for her, and then she got her keys out from her purse.

"You don't have to walk me up," she said after noticing that he was following after her.

"I insist," he said, pointedly looking at the dingy building.

"All right," she said, and led him up the stairs and to her door.

"Well," he said, leaning against the doorjamb.

"I know this wasn't a great date," Rin said, worrying her lip between her teeth. "And that we didn't meet under the greatest of circumstances, but . . . um . . . I'm sorry about your car."

His eyes visibly widened. "Don't mention it."

"And about the whole Viagra thing. I'm . . . uh . . . sure you don't need it."

He only nodded. She smiled and kept her eyes trained on his chest.

"Well, good night," she whispered, and then pulled open her door. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Rin leaned back and sighed, looking around at her empty apartment. Tears sprang to her eyes.

She was so alone. Her life was empty, and her soul felt hollow.

Stepping forward, she glanced at pictures on the walls. Her parents smiled down at her from the aged photos, and she again felt the sting of tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. Rin didn't want to be alone anymore. She wanted to feel what everyone around her seemed to have, yet she was left in the dark.

Turning back, she yanked the door back open. Sesshomaru stood on the other side, his hand raised in a fist as though he were about to knock on her door.

They could only stare at each other moments before they both fell into each other. His lips found hers as he somehow maneuvered her into the apartment and closed the door behind them. He only stopped for a brief moment to slide the lock into place.

Rin accepted him when he came back to her, the passion of his electric kisses stunning her into compliance. His hands fisted in her hair, holding her at just such an angle as to deepen their kiss, and he explored her mouth with an expertise that she could not even begin to rival. Her arms found themselves around his neck, pulling him closer as she tried to look around and find her bedroom—which should not have been such a hard task as it was at this very moment.

"This is insane," she whispered as he leaned her against the wall. His mouth found her neck, nuzzling at the junction of her throat and shoulder, his clawed hand slowly pulling the straps of her dress down her arms.

"I know," he said, getting down on his knees so that he could slowly, and with great ease, pull off her shoes. His hands found the curves of her calves, stroking up and leaving her wanting more of his touch. "This is the most insane thing I have ever done in my life."

"My idea of a crazy night is not studying, if that gives you any insight into _my_ life." She laughed, watching as he stood up. He framed her face with his hands and leaned down so that he could nip at her lips. He earned a moan that emanated from deep in her throat.

She laughed when he bounced as he toed off his shoes and hastily kicked them away. He laughed when she tried to slide sexily into her bedroom, but only ended up tripping on her own bare feet and hitting the wall with her shoulder.

Turning, she reached back to try to unzip the back of her dress, only to remember that Kagome had done the zipping, and that her arms where just a little too short to do the deed. She jumped when she felt his warm hands caress down her shoulders, and the length of his body as he came up to her from behind. His claws, however, were having difficulty as well, and fumbled easily over the small piece of metal. Rin was surprised at the deep, angry growl that came from him.

"Fuck it," he said, and then ripped the entire zipper from her dress with a satisfying rip.

"Hey!" she yelled. "That was my best dress." She turned to face him as the dress fell from her shoulders, yet hung on her hips.

"I'll buy you a new one," he said, and crushed her lips with his own, his tongue darting out to trace the line of her mouth. "I want you."

"I want you, too," she whispered, blushing. "This is all new to me." Her hands came up to trace the lines of his face and neck, down to the suit and neat tie that adorned his chest. Hooking a finger into the knot, she slowly pulled at the tie, letting it come loose before pulling it over his head. He looked down and smirked. She hadn't yet realized that she was left only in her underwear and bra.

"What?" she asked, and then she looked down. "Oh, fuck."

"Damn right we are," he said, pulling her body close to his and craning his neck down so that he could kiss and nip at her neck. He scraped his teeth against her collarbone, and she shivered in response to the onslaught of sensation.

He explored her chest and stomach, he played his lips over her thighs and he teased that sensitive spot just by her hip-bone. Rin almost told him to stop, that the things he enacted on her were too intense, but each time she went to say so, her voice came out as a deep moan. Somewhere along the way he had stripped her of her underclothes, leaving her bare before him.

Rin closed her eyes and leaned her head back, not wanting to see his face when he saw her body. She knew she was nothing extraordinary. Yet when she felt his hands on her skin and his lips on her breast, she felt beautiful. She gasped when he came up to her, his lips kissing their way back to her mouth.

After kissing her passionately, he went to her bed and turned down the sheets. He neatly lifted a brow at her Johnny Depp pillowcase, but didn't say anything. He only threw it to the floor.

"You'll only be looking at me tonight." Then he set her down on the bed, leaning her back so that she lay out before him. She could only watch as he shed himself of the remainder of his clothing, reached into his wallet, pulled out a condom, put it on, and joined her on the bed. Sesshomaru stretched out on her, fitting himself between her legs and holding his upper body up by his arms.

After a few more moments of delicious foreplay, he looked down at her. "Are you ready for me?"

Rin nodded hastily, wanting him to be inside of her. Quickly, Sesshomaru reached down and tested her with his fingers, running them over her nether lips and feeling the evidence of her desire for him. Then he began to ease himself into her.

She bit her lip and her nails gripped his shoulders as she was assaulted by pain. Somehow, she refrained from crying out as he ripped through the barrier of her virginity.

"Rin," he said, leaning down until his lips were at her ear. "This is your first time?"

"Yes," she said back, her hands smoothing down the skin on his shoulders that she had marred.

"It's okay," he whispered. "I'll take care of you. Just hold on to me."

* * *

Sesshomaru stared at the ceiling of Rin's apartment some time later. He looked over at the woman next to him, who was sound asleep, and his arm tightened around her shoulders. He pulled the covers over them when she let loose a sleep-induced shiver, and he leaned his nose down so that he could take in the clean, fruity scent of her hair.

Heaving a sigh, he thought back. He had wanted to torture her, to make her pay for what she had done to him only a day ago. His mind had been set on public humiliation, yet she had bested him, Sesshomaru, at every turn. She had been irresistible.

Apparently she had felt the same way. She had opened the door, hoping that he was still there, and when he had seen her tear-filled eyes and her red lips, he had been unable to turn his back on her.

He didn't know how he was going to be able to leave her in the morning.

Then his ears detected something. Rock music?

As gently as possible, he pulled himself from her without waking Rin, and headed into the living room. He followed the sound until he came upon her cellular phone, which was in her discarded purse.

Looking at the caller ID, he noted that it was Kagome.

"Hello," he said when he flipped open the phone.

"Rin?" her voice filled his ear.

"Does this sound like Rin?" he growled.

"Sesshomaru? Where's Rin? What did you do to her? Oh my God, is she dead?" Her frantic voice made him grimace. How did his brother deal with her?

"Yes, she's alive. Just a little . . . occupied at the moment." He grinned wolfishly as he thought of the woman on the other end panicking.

"What did you do to my friend?" She was practically screaming by this point.

"Nothing that she didn't want."

"Let me talk to her." There was a slight rustle on the other end as Kagome snuck into the janitor's closet so that she could hide from her boss.

"You can't."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because, she's asleep."

"Holy shit," Kagome said, enunciated every syllable. "How the hell did you manage to get her to sleep? Rin never sleeps."

Sesshomaru only snapped the lid of the phone down. Maybe now she would stop trying to play matchmaker for her friend.

* * *

Rin awoke to the most annoying sensation on her cheek. She tried batting at it, but her hand would always fall short. It seemed almost as if it was on her entire face, yet it only tickled in one spot.

Finally, she opened her eyes to find that everything was black.

"I'm blind!" she screamed, but when she sat up, paper fell from her face and landed in her sheet-covered lap. The rest of her, however, was very embarrassingly naked.

Reaching down as she continued to blush, Rin examined the note.

_Had to get to work. I'll call you tonight. Until then,_

_--Sesshomaru_

_P.S.—You look beautiful in the nude._

Heaving a sigh, she wished that he hadn't figured out how to make her blush.

Smiling, she realized that she thought that he was beautiful, too.

* * *

Ooooh, only one chapter to go!!! What could possibly happen next??? You'll just have to wait and find out. Until then, please review, they make me oh-so-very-happy. Toodles.


	3. The Discovery

Hey, its me again!!! Wow, last chapter. I hope you like it. I'm so happy with the response for this story, I'm going to have to come up with some more AU stories. Anyway, its not going so good for my sequel to "Hell's Angel: Rin." I'm in the middle of serious writer's block. I know where I want the story to go, I just don't know how to get there (How strange is that???). So, in addition to all of my hard classes (i.e. Organic Chemistry), I'm hoping to get it out sometime by the end of March, so look for it then. All right, now, onto the story!!! Remember to review!!!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, so I apologize for so much drama.

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Chapter Three

The Discovery

Two weeks later, Rin sat in lecture, her hand over her mouth. She was sick. She couldn't afford to be sick, but she was. She'd been sleeping through the night, which was an oddity in itself, almost every night.

She wished that this damn flu would go away. It was throwing her life out of order, and as it was she only got a few hours of studying in before she _had_ to rest. Not that she wanted to rest, but that she had to rest. And if she didn't, she would throw up. It was terrible.

As the professor finished his lecture on surgical procedures of the gastrointestinal tract, which also nauseated Rin, whereas before she would have been able to handle any sort of gross, torturous surgery without even a grimace.

Grabbing her backpack and shoving her notes into it, she walked slowly to the front of the lecture hall so that she could go home. Ah, it was Friday again. Good old Friday.

"Miss Tanaka?" the professor asked, motioning her over.

"Yes, Sensei?" she asked in return.

"Not feeling well?" he said, leaning back against his desk. His beady, black eyes peered at her from behind his thick spectacles. His thin body was hidden well behind his long, white lab coat.

"No, I'm not, Sensei. It's just the flu, nothing to worry about."

"Ah, all right. Take it easy this weekend, then. I can see you have been resting more. You haven't fallen asleep in my class in weeks. Well done."

"Thank you, sir." Rin turned to walk away, but she was again interrupted.

"Oh, and I have sent a letter of recommendation to the National East Clinic so that you may intern there. I remember you mentioning an interest in them. Send along an application, and along with my letter, you have a more-than-fair chance of gaining entry."

Rin smiled from ear to ear, and tears sprang to her eyes.

"Oh, thank you so much. I don't know how I can repay you . . . ." Yet he held up a hand.

"Just keep doing what you have been doing. Your intellect and enthusiasm almost makes up for my own children's laziness."

* * *

When she walked into her apartment that night, Rin was exhausted. She flopped down on the coach, and immediately turned on the television, hoping for a good program to be on.

After finding a show that she was satisfied with, she immediately stood and went to the refrigerator to find something for dinner.

She pulled out a can of condensed soup and a pan mere moments before the door to her apartment sounded with a knock.

Grinning, Rin ran to the door and pulled it open forcefully, only to be met with Kagome's angry face.

"The flu!" she screamed, throwing a brown paper bag at Rin. "You thought you could fool me, huh? Well, we'll see about that."

"What the hell is this?" Rin asked, picking at the brown paper so that she could see its contents.

Then she screamed.

"A pregnancy test!? What the fuck, Kagome?"

"Oh, I was not the one fucking, my dear friend. Now go in the bathroom and pee on that stick immediately."

"I hope my upstairs neighbor didn't hear you. He's a shameless pervert."

"I'm not joking around, Rin. Go," she said, forcibly grabbing her friend by the shoulders and hauling her into the bathroom. Rin went, though there was every doubt in her mind that she was pregnant.

About three minutes later, however, her worst fears were confirmed. In a little more than eight months, she was going to be a mother.

"Wow," she said, sitting down heavily on the couch next to Kagome. "You'd better call your mom and tell her that she's gonna be a grandma."

"You tell her. If I say it that way, I won't have time to explain before she kills me."

"True." Then she looked down at the floor, shock still coursing through her system.

Kagome gasped. "You have to tell Sesshomaru."

Rin looked at her friend wide-eyed. "How do you think he will take it? I mean, I haven't seen him since . . . well . . . you know."

"He's called you, right?"

"Every other day. We haven't had time to get together again."

"Call him and tell him." Kagome even handed Rin her phone.

"I can't tell him over the phone. How would you feel if someone told you something that important without even seeing you?"

"All right, then go see him."

Rin jumped up, grabbing her shoes and quickly stuffed her feet into them, pulling on her coat, and grabbing her purse. She quickly ran out the door.

Two minutes later, she came back.

"What happened?" Kagome asked, standing.

"Uh, where does he live?"

* * *

After Kagome called Inuyasha and demanded to know Sesshomaru's address, as well as promising him a full explanation and some alone time later, Rin was finally on her way to his house.

Her car ambled down the street, finally slowing as she came to a small, very exclusive subdivision. Keeping a careful eye out for people and cars, she also scanned each address until she came to his house.

And what a house it was. Of course he would also have the biggest house on the block. It was a large Victorian with a stone walkway and a well-trimmed lawn. Ugh, it was perfect.

Sighing deeply, Rin parked her car behind his and slowly got out of her Mustang. This was gonna suck.

Walking slowly to the door, she tentatively reached out a hand and pushed the doorbell, and she flinched when she heard the ring on the other side of the door. After a few minutes, Rin was ready to leave, and she turned around to do so.

Just as she was about to step off of the front porch, the door swung open to reveal a half-naked Sesshomaru. Rin couldn't help but stare. He . . . was . . . gorgeous. His long, white hair was dripping wet and clung in tendrils to his neck and chest. His bangs hung over his face, and they looked like they had been haphazardly pushed to the side so that he could see without water dripping into his eyes. A large, white towel was loosely knotted around his waist, though it was dangerously close to slipping down his narrow hips.

A smile illuminated his face when he saw her. He quietly admired her denim jacket over her gray long-sleeved T-shirt and ripped blue jeans. Her long, black hair swayed freely in the late afternoon wind. A storm was setting in, and the cloudy, menacing sky made the shadows over her face dance alluringly.

"Hi," he said, pulling her close for a lingering kiss. Her hands found their way into his wet hair, and the front of her shirt was now soaked. "Oops," he said when she pulled away.

"Its okay," she said, and then she paused. Glancing quickly to the side, she noticed that the attractive woman next door was glaring at Rin out of her window. "I think your neighbors are getting an eye-full, and I don't think they like it."

"Let them watch," he said, stealing another quick kiss before pulling her inside. With an ominous slam, the door closed behind them.

The house was beautiful, and very, very clean. Sickeningly clean, except for the wet footprints that he had left behind upon answering the door. Rin felt the sudden urge to take her shoe off and break something. Instead, when she did remove her shoes, she left them neatly by the doorway.

She could tell instantly that he wanted to lead her into his bedroom, so before he could make a move, she walked down the narrow hallway to what-seemed-to-be the living room, and took a look around. The kitchen was visible through an open partition in the wall, as well as a full-sized dining room. Double glass doors led to an outdoor, stone patio, and the door to the basement was off to the side of the living room.

Settling herself down on the couch, Rin watched as Sesshomaru walked over and took the seat next to her. Leaning down, his lips skimmed over hers again, and she almost succumbed to him before logic kicked in.

"Wait," she whispered as he eased the jacket off of her shoulders. Gazing down at his chest, and couldn't help but drool. _Stop it, Rin. This is how you got in this situation in the first place, _she thought herself.

"Hmm?" he moaned in acknowledgement.

"Maybe you should go get dressed," Rin said, looking him in the eye for the first time.

"All right," he said, and went to do so.

When he came back down five minutes later, he was barefoot in a pair of ripped, faded jeans and a white T-shirt. His hair was still wet, and the evidence of it was on his now-wet shirt.

Settling back down next to her, he cupped her cheek in his hand.

"What's on your mind?"

Rin took a deep breath, and then another. It didn't seem to help. She even opened her mouth to talk, but no words came out. She moaned, irritated.

"Hey," he said, and she looked up at him. "You can tell me."

"I don't want you to hate me." Her face was dead-pan and his smile wavered. Leaning back, he waited for her to gather her bravery.

"I'm pregnant," she said a few moments later, and she closed her eyes and rushed on. "I don't expect anything from you. I don't expect a proposal or anything like that. I can raise this baby on my own, if you don't want to be there, because I know this is the last thing you could have thought would come from me today." Opening her eyes, she looked at him. Where before he had been leaning back, he was now leaning forward, his elbows on his knees and his hands were in his hair.

After a few minutes of tense, awkward silence, Rin spoke.

"Please say something." Even if it was an accusation, at least she knew where he stood. And anything was better then silence.

"I used a condom," he finally said, his eyes looking up at her.

"And I was on the Pill."

His hands fell into his lap, and he could only look at her stomach. It was terribly uncomfortable to be under this kind of scrutiny, but she sat still, knowing that this was just as hard for him as it was for her.

She watched as his eyes wandered over her body, from her toes to her hair, until finally settling on her eyes.

"Do you . . . .," he started, but faltered slightly. "Do you think I'll be a good father?"

Tears welled in her eyes at his emotion filled words, and Rin fell into his arms when he opened them for her. His hands stroked her back as he whispered words of encouragement to her.

Finally, after several agonizing minutes, Rin sat up and looked at him.

"I know this is the last thing we both need right now, but we can make this work, can't we?"

"Yes," he whispered. "I want you to marry me."

Rin pulled back, and her heart was in her throat. Her hands gripped his shoulders.

"You don't want that. I wouldn't ask that of you."

"I offered, didn't I? Why would I offer you something that I don't want?"

She smiled, for the first time letting it light her eyes. Launching herself into his arms again, she cried in his chest.

"That would be those hormones that I'm gonna have to deal with, isn't it?"

"Oh, yeah. It's going to get worse, too."

"Shit."

* * *

The next several days were spent moving some of Rin's things into Sesshomaru's house. Her apartment was already up for rent, and since it was the end of the month, she had almost no problems getting out of her contract with the landlord.

Sesshomaru spent each day looking at the room closest to his bedroom, and Rin knew that he was imagining what the nursery would look like. They had both decided to paint the room blue, since they were both hoping for a boy, with bright yellow stars on the borders of the walls. The crib was going to be white, and they had decided that a light gray carpet would look best with the décor that they had looked at. It was so easy to imagine, so easy to see the life they would have with the baby.

He was doing just that when Rin walked into the house, and even from upstairs, he could hear the sound of her sobbing.

He took the stairs two at a time to get to her.

"What happened?" he yelled when he reached her. He pulled her immediately into his arms and carried her to the couch. "Is it the baby?"

"I . . . went to the doctor . . . to make sure everything was okay," she said between sniffles, and her voice was hiccupped.

"What happened?"

"There never was a baby," she whispered, and she began crying again, her tears soaking his shirt. The arms around his waist held him tighter.

"Rin . . . ."

"It was a false positive. Hormones and stress and any number of things the doctor said led to a false positive."

"Its okay," he said, holding her close. "It's not a miscarriage. Be thankful for _that_, sweetie."

"I know," she said, and then she pulled away from him. "I suppose," she started, gazing at the sapphire engagement ring on her finger. "I suppose you'll want this back."

His face was completely unreadable, except that one minute she was sitting on the couch, and the next minute he had her pressed down in its soft cushions, his hands holding hers high above her head and his angry face looming above hers.

Then his lips were on hers, brutally crushing her soft mouth with his own. Rin moaned at the onslaught of pain and pleasure. His fangs scraped along her lips, and both immediately tasted the coppery essence of blood. His hands then let go of hers so that they could roam over her body, and her now-free fingers pushed at his shoulders.

"Sesshomaru, please," she whimpered as he began to rain hard kisses to her neck.

"Remember when I gave you that ring?"

How could she forget?

_It was only two nights ago, when they sat down to dinner. It was nothing fancy, just take-out Chinese food and store-bought ice cream, yet when he had gotten down on one knee and held out the jewelry box to her, she hadn't even hesitated as she screamed, "Yes!"_

_His response of, "Who says it's for you? Personally, I think my secretary will love it," had had her laughing as he kissed her and slid the ring on her finger._

"Yes," she responded now. Every instinct in her body told her to fight, to make him stay with her, even without the baby. Yet she couldn't force him into a marriage that he didn't want.

"I have a confession to make." His voice almost seemed broken.

_Here it comes_, she thought. Here comes the part where he tells her that he doesn't love her, that he had only proposed to her because of their child.

"I bought that ring three days after I met you. _Three_. I love you, Rin. The baby—I'm sorry to say—gave me the perfect excuse to ask you."

"Three days?" she said, her shocked mind unable to comprehend such a thing.

"Yes."

"Oh, no. Oh, I love you, too," Rin finally whispered. He kissed her again, this time gently, and she responded in kind.

Her hands weaved their way into his long hair, holding him still as she whispered, "So, is this worth the damage to your Lexus?"

"No," he said, pressing his body closer to her. "But I'm sure I can find a way for you to work it off."

The End

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Awww!!! Okay, that's the end of this story. Yahoo, I have two complete stories now!!! Alright, like I said, I'm trying to get "Fate's Angel: Amaya" done at least half-way through before I start posting, but between writer's block, school, and home responsibility, it may not be out for a while. Please be patient. Okay, please review (You never know, it may make me write faster)!!! Until next time, toodles.

Tears of My Heart.


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